B.C.’s special Olympians warm up home turf

Kelly Sinoski, Vancouver Sun06.15.2014

Special Olympics athlete Lori Urban of Coquitlam (left) races in the 100-metre event at the Team B.C. training event at UBC on Saturday. Team B.C. is preparing to compete in the Special Olympics Canada 2014 Summer Games in Vancouver July 8 to 12.

Special Olympics athlete Adam Advocaat of Coquitlam races at a training event at UBC Saturday. Team B.C. is preparing to compete in the Special Olympics Canada 2014 Summer Games in Vancouver July 8 to 12.

Special Olympics athlete Kellie Robertson of Surrey races in the 800-metre event at the Team B.C. training event at UBC on Saturday. Team B.C. is preparing to compete in the Special Olympics Canada 2014 Summer Games in Vancouver July 8 to 12.

VANCOUVER -- As she rounded the final lap in her 1500-metre sprint, Surrey’s Kellie Robertson could hear her coach shouting from the sidelines, “Kick it, Kellie. Now. Go.”

She passed one competitor, then another, ending the race well ahead of her opponents with an unofficial time of six minutes, eight seconds, receiving a two-thumbs-up- salute from a friend at the finish line. The time wasn’t her personal best, but it was a significant improvement over last year, her coach Deborah Carter said. Plus, the race was just part of training camp for the official Special Olympics Canada 2014 Summer Games, which will take place at the University of B.C. on July 8-12.

“She’s doing awesome,” Carter said, noting Robertson did well despite having to run in a downpour. “Our goal was to do a really strong race today. We’ll hold off on the personal best until three weeks from now and then rip up the track.”

This is the first time the national games will be held in B.C., and the training camp this weekend was intended to give B.C.’s special Olympians a home-field advantage before they meet competitors from across Canada. More than 260 athletes came out in the rain to train on the track at Wolfson East Field and Rashpal Dhillon Oval, south of the Thunderbird Sports Centre, or hone their skills in the swimming pool, on the soccer field or in rhythmic gymnastics. UBC’s top athletes also volunteered their time to help out as referees and in other ways.

Some of the volunteers were on hand at the bocce pitch, which was added to the national event this year along with basketball and golf. Penticton’s Kevin Ellis, 36 and Chad Conlon, 34, who play for separate B.C. teams, were getting in some extra practice. Ellis, who has previously competed in 10-pin bowling said the key to a successful throw is the stance, follow through and putting a spin on the ball, while Conlon said his skill is throwing a “long jack” of about 40 feet.

“I think bocce deserves to be in the Special Olympics because it’s a fun game and it gives everybody a chance,” said Conlon, whose team has twice taken the gold for bocce in B.C. and is aiming for a hat trick in July.

“I just beat them,” Conlon said jokingly, nodding to Ellis and his teammates. “This is good for us because we’re from the Okanagan and we can come down and see where we’re playing.”

Robertson, 25, runs six days a week as part of her training and said she expects to take home the gold in both the 800 and 1500-metre sprints in the national competition.

Others, like Adam Advocaat, said he likes his chances for the 200 and 400-metre sprints although he’s had a couple of practices this year “where I was burnt out and wasn’t able to hit the gas.”

Advocaat maintains he already has a huge medal count and hopes to continue competing beyond this year, which is his 17th season. His biggest challenge, he said, is to find the time to train while working his job as a stocker for Target, which starts at 4 a.m.

“It keeps me healthy,” said Advocaat, who has Asperger’s syndrome. “I enjoy it. I have a mission to show that people like me can do anything a typical person can. I have a feeling a lot of people don’t see the untapped ability we have in people with intellectual disabilities.

“I think bocce deserves to be in the Special Olympics because it’s a fun game and it gives everybody a chance.”

Team B.C. 2014 is made up of 276 athletes with intellectual disabilities, 70 coaches, and 14 mission staff from 39 communities around the province. Special Olympians will reach for gold in 11 sports: 10-pin bowling, fivepin bowling, aquatics, athletics, basketball, bocce, golf, powerlifting, rhythmic gymnastics, soccer, and softball.

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